It only took a second
by higanbana-botan
Summary: AU. VERY OOC. This is my first fic so please be kind Summary: The first time they met was it for Mikan but what about for him? Will she spend the rest of her life loving someone who will never love her back? Or is there something more hidden in the depths of his eyes? Mild swearing but not too much.
1. Chapter 1

The first time I saw him… there was something about him that captured me. I don't know if it was his dark raven hair or his ruby red eyes or even the many piercings on his ears. Maybe it was all of it combined. There was just something about him that made me breathless for a second. To my defense, he was very attractive, he had the type of look that would melt your bones and a face that would turn heads wherever he went, but there was something else. Something I couldn't quite pinpoint at that time. He had something that captured me and in a second I was, unfortunately, head over heels. The first time I met him he had my heart. But, the next time I saw him he… tore it to shreds.

'Hahaha… no.' I said, not even considering it.

'Please, please, please Mikan.' Anna clutched my skirt tighter as she kneeled in front of me.

'No. Not gonna happen. No way in hell am I going to his birthday party.' This was the one thing I would never agree to, not when he was there. Honestly, she knows what happened. How can she even ask that?

'I promised him, I'd make you go…. He'll kill me if you don't go.' She continued to plead, tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

'He's your brother, he won't actually kill you…" I said, my voice softening. Ugh, Anna and her teary eyes are a bad combination for my soft heart.

'Nooooo! He'll do it. He'll definitely do it. I hate him too, for what he did to you, but he's my brother and he knows I'm dating Yuu… He said he'd tell our parents if you don't go!' She started to fully cry now, her shoulders heaving as sobs burst from her mouth. Ugh, I'm going to regret this later.

I sighed and knelt down next to her. 'Okay, okay… I'll go.' I conceded. 'But, only because you cried and I know your parents don't want you dating anyone, not even Yuu.' She squealed in happiness.

'Thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe you big time Mikan!' She clutched both my hands and smiled with glee. Honestly, she was crying her heart out, not even a minute ago. What will I do with this girl?

Anna wiped the tears from her face completely, the only trace of her crying, being her slightly puffy eyes. 'You know, I actually think he regrets cheating on you. I'm not saying he's not a complete asshole for doing it but I think he's actually regretting it. But maybe the fact that his current girlfriend is a complete bitch is also helping.' she laughed. Ha! Him? Regret? That's funny. Oh well, too bad for him I've moved on. Even though I don't have a boyfriend now at least I'm not desperate enough to go back to him.

But, really, him? Regret? Way too funny.

I got out of my car and waited for Anna. I was the night of her brother's birthday party. I didn't really want to look good for the party but Anna insisted I dress up. She said it was to make her brother see what he missed out on. That girl is way too devious. So here I am, dressed in a pretty white dress that went down just above my knees and a warm brown jacket that protected me from the cold autumn night air. I was wearing make-up, for once. Applied lightly, of course. I've never been comfortable wearing make-up, which was scandalous (according to Anna). I shivered slightly as the breeze blew around my exposed legs. Maybe I should've worn tights. When I looked in the mirror, before I left my flat, I personally thought I looked good. Wavy auburn hair that went down a little past my shoulders, creamy skin. No blemishes. Light brown eyes with flecks of gold. My mother's eyes. So, of course they were beautiful. All in all, I looked good. I felt confident tonight, and the fact that my flatmate Nonoko said I was gorgeous helped a little. Hehe.

'Holy guacamole! You look stunning!' I heard Anna's voice from behind me and turned around to see her slack-jawed. 'You should really dress up more Mikan. I bet you'll get a flock of suitors waiting in your hand and foot. Imagine never having to open a single door yourself again.' She said in awe.

'Hahaha… that would be a bit creepy but thanks, you look awesome yourself.' She was wearing a short black dress that complimented her hair. Then I smiled devilishly. 'Is Yuu going to be here?' I teased. The blush that followed was almost immediate.

'He's coming.' She said with head her head down but I could tell she was smiling. 'Anyway, let's go. The party's waiting. And my brother is as well. Now, don't give me that look. I promise I won't leave you alone with him. Plus, I want to see his face once he sees the way you look. It's going to be priceless.' She smirked. The little devil. Now I was getting curious as well. Hahaha we'll see how this turns out, maybe I won't regret this after all.

Oh, how wrong I was.

The party itself started out alright. Anna's family's large living room was filled with people, most of them around my age. There were people scattered throughout their large house and from the noise coming from the back, I could tell there were also people in the back garden. I got a few curious stared from guys around me which made me feel glad I dressed up. Maybe I can walk out with a date from this. I congratulated Anna's brother, Ted, and watched as his eyes widened and he spluttered out a thanks, his eyes taking on a look of longing and regret, before the girl beside him wearing a very short dress glared at me and stomped at his foot, her eyes silently warning him. I smiled at her amicably. Hahaha oh sweet revenge.

After that, Anna guided me through the room, introducing me to as many guys as she can. To make her brother jealous, she said. The sadist. I wonder how Yuu deals with her? I was exhausted by the time guy #21 was introduced to me and I excused myself to sit down and get a breather. To be honest, not all of the guys were bad. Some of them I could actually imagine going to dinner with. Maybe a date or two. But meeting twenty-one eligible guys in one night was a bit too much. I sat down on the loveseat in the corner of the living room next to a large bookshelf and contemplated grabbing a book when I felt eyes on me. I ignored it thinking it was one of the guys Anna introduce me to, he'll get bored soon enough, and proceeded to grab 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens from the shelf and began to read. Nearly ten pages later, I could still feel the gaze on me. It was distracting. Whoever it was was really starting to creep me out. I looked up from my book and scanned the living room. The party was still in full swing with more people dancing in the middle of the room. I continued to look around between the dancing bodies in front of me and caught a flash of black hair from the other side of the room. Is it that person? I craned my neck to get a better look. When the dancing couple finally moved from my view I got a good look at him.

'Woah.'

Soooo, this is my first fic if it wasn't obvious enough. Haha. It's a cliffie, I know, I hate them too. It's also slow yes I know, I also hate those... but it'll get better? *hopeful eyes* I wrote all this is a bit over an hour so please forgive any spelling and/or grammar mistakes. I actually wrote more than this... but I wasn't entirely sure how well it would go. So please review! Constructive criticism would be much appreciated! Also whether or not I continue this story would also depend on the reviews (if there are any, haha _) so please, please review or like or follow or whatever! Oh and above all, THANK YOU FOR READING!

higanbana-botan ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

_I craned my neck to get a better look. When the dancing couple finally moved from my view I got a good look at him._

_'Woah.'_That was all I could say as I felt my jaw slacken. That guy was beautiful. Too feminine? Maybe extremely hot would be better. I felt my eyes widen as my brown eyes met his ruby red ones. Red eyes, that's really something. Is he wearing contacts? I felt my face heat up as he smirked slightly. But, it wasn't the That-girl-is-staring-at-me-cause-I'm-so-hot kind of smirk it was more like a She-looks-funny-while-staring-at-me kind. I looked away quickly and felt my heart beat faster. What the hell was that? I dared to peek at him again and he was still staring at me. Our eyes met again. His smirk was even wider now. My palms were starting to sweat now and my heart beating faster than ever. Not good, not good Mikan. He's a complete stranger. Your heart should not beat like this for a complete stranger with gorgeous eyes and awesome hair…. No! Not good.

'Are you okay Mikan?' Anna's voice from beside forced us to break eye contact. I felt relieved but a part of me felt disappointed. Not good.

'I'm alright. I'm alright. I'm alright.' I started chanting like a mantra.

'You look a little red there. Are you sick?' She asked, worry colouring her tone. She also had red cheeks but I could tell it was from alcohol, not looking into the eyes of a very attractive man. No Mikan! Stop it!

'I'm completely fine Anna, honest.' I said and smiled at her.

'Well if you're not sick…' As if she came to a sudden realisation, her face started to smirk and mischief danced in her eyes. Oh no. 'Did someone catch your eye?' She gasped. 'There is someone isn't there! Ooh who is he? Where is he? What does he look like?' She squealed in excitement. 'I haven't seen you blush like that in years, not since… ah well, anyway where is he? Is he cute? He must be, right? Is he as cute as Yuu? Oh well, no one's as cute as Yuu. You know, like that one time…' She continued to babble. I felt my body tense slightly at her slip up. Not since… yeah, not since then. She began to tell the story of the time Yuu looked 'so cute' and I proceeded to ignore her. Once she starts with this, she won't stop for hours, not if she's drunk. Which she was.

Is he still looking? I felt my face redden with excitement and my heart beat faster. What if he was? No Mikan! Noo, no, no, no, no. This is a complete stranger you're thinking about. You don't know him, he doesn't know you. Your eyes met for a moment and you thought he was attractive. That's all it was. But, that doesn't mean I can't check if he's still looking right? I mean, it would be very rude to not look back at someone who's looking at you right? Oh gosh, I can't believe I'm having an internal debate about this. I took a deep breath. All right, I'll look. One look wouldn't be so bad. Plus, he may not be looking at me anymore. I felt a small pang in my chest. What was that?

I took another deep breath and scanned the room for those ruby eyes again… and couldn't find them. My heart fell in disappointment. It was nothing after all. It was just a coincidental meeting of eyes. It was just me being deprived of a decent guy and a relationship. It was just my heart reacting to not seeing a handsome face in a while. It was just…

I heard a small cough from beside me. It was masculine. I looked up and saw him. Those red eyes. I gasped and nearly fell out of the loveseat. Anna left a while ago and I was left alone in the corner of the room with him. Amusement filled his eyes as I struggled to right myself on the loveseat. I could tell he was trying not to laugh. My face heated in embarrassment. Damn it, of all times Mikan. Of all times.

'Hey, you're looking very bored there.' His voice slightly rough and holy shit was it hot! He sat beside me on the loveseat. He was close but not too close. Guy knew his boundaries. Though, my heart still beat faster at his proximity.

'Uhh, yeah… I just came here because it's my friend's brother's birthday.' I stuttered and placed the book I was holding on the table beside me. Stutter!? Really Mikan? You just have to act like you completely in love with him… Which you definitely should not be!

'So, you don't know the guy personally?' He asked with that same attractive voice.

Oh no. I was getting nervous. 'He was my ex.' I blurted out. My eyes widened. I can't believe I just said that. I ducked my head quickly. Is he gonna think I'm a complete weirdo or maybe even a slut? Wait, why should I care what he thinks. I don't even know him. Nevertheless, I slowly peeked at him from between my fringe.

Honest surprise filled his expression and he has his eyebrows raised, but there was something else there. Something darker, but before I could decipher it, his face was filled with amusement again.

'Is that so? He must be regretting breaking up with you now, seeing as his current girlfriend is nothing compared to you.' He smirked and gestured toward the table where Ted was sitting with his girlfriend.

I blushed. Damn, this guy was good. 'Well, what about you? Do you know Ted?' I asked. I do not like him. I do not like him. I chanted inside my head while on the outside, I calmed myself down and smiled my saleslady smile. That part-time job was helping out in the end. I can keep cool. I can definitely keep cool.

'Nah, I came with a friend who knows him. Apparently they met in a gay bar. Maybe that's why I could feel the guy staring at me from a while ago.' He said in a completely serious tone. The moment I absorbed his words, I burst into laughter. A gay bar?! Hahaha that is priceless. I have to tell Anna. Does she know about her brother's preferences?! Oh shit I have to tell her immediately. I continued to laugh heartily until my laughter died down into a fit of quiet giggles.

I looked at him again. He was looking at me and his eyes were smiling. The earlier tension between us was gone. I felt relaxed and couldn't help leaning back a bit on the loveseat.

'Why did you guys break up?' He asked suddenly. I raised my eyebrows but the amusement did not leave my face. Should I tell him? Oh what the heck. The guy made my night.

'He cheated on me. Big time.' I said without any trace of bitterness or anger. Well, to be honest it was just an annoying memory now. He looked shocked and for a moment I thought he looked quite pissed. What was that about? 'Don't look at me like that. I still hate him but I don't really care anymore. As you said, his girlfriend's nothing compared to me.' I smiled charmingly and copied his earlier words. What are you doing Mikan? You're not the type of person that flirts like this. I stopped smiling and looked at him. He was merely staring back. Something passed in his features and I was again mesmerised by his eyes. A brilliant ruby red. His gaze was so intense I felt like I was suffocating. No more like I was in a very warm embrace.

All of a sudden he stood up. 'I'll be right back.' He said and we locked eyes for a few more seconds before he walked briskly away. I could actually hear my heart pounding in my ears. What the hell is happening to me?

The rest of the party passed by uneventfully and even though the crimson-eyed man promised he'd return, he never did. I waited by the loveseat for close to an hour before deciding to roam the house looking for him. Maybe he got caught up with something. I checked every single room in the house to no avail. I even went so far as to ask the people in each room if they'd seen a tall, handsome, raven-haired, crimson-eyed, gorgeous man. Some of the older women laughed right at my face and asked me if I'd merely conjured him. Did I? Was I really that desperate for a relationship that I actually made up some fictional guy? I don't know, but all I know is that I could still feel the shadow of his gaze on me and I could remember the way my heart pounded in my ears. It wasn't just some fantasy. I know it was real, but the reality was that he said he would come back but he didn't. I sighed, my heart feeling heavier by the second. Maybe he suddenly lost interest. Maybe I was just too over-confident. Just because he was staring didn't mean he was interested.

No Mikan! You will not get depressed over some silly guy you don't even know the name of. Cheer up, cheer up! I breathed in deeply, held my breath and exhaled slowly.

'_If you ever feel blue, my Mikan, just do this.' _A gentle feminine voice filled my head. '_Breathe in, hold it and slowly breathe out, all the while focusing all your stress and frustrations into that breath of air you exhale.' _Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. I opened my eyes to see Anna staring at me weirdly.

'What?' I asked. I felt much better. That little charm always worked.

'Hmm… nothing. I was just wondering if it was possible that you became even more beautiful during the span of this party.' She responded in a thoughtful voice, like a scientist hypothesising the possibility of life on other planets. I raised my eyebrows. 'Did you know' she continued 'that it has been said that women emit a certain glow when they're in love? Much like a pregnant woman when they carry their child. The love they experience gives them a certain charm about them.'

Is she actually suggesting that I'm in love? Hahaha. That's impossible. Then I thought of those crimson eyes and my heart skipped a beat in my chest. It can't be. It was an infatuation. Yeah, that's it. A simple crush. He was an attractive man so who could blame me. I'll get over it soon enough. Heck, maybe even by tomorrow I'd have forgotten those seductive red eyes, that ruffled black hair and that spine-tingling voice. Ugh. I'm not making this any better for myself, am I?

I sighed and faced Anna. She still had a thoughtful look on her face. 'I think I've had enough of this party for one night.' I said, wanting to excuse myself from the party.

Anna looked like she was about to protest but another look at my face silenced her. 'Yeah, it's getting really late. Thanks again for coming today even though you didn't really want to.' She gave me a hug that I quickly returned. 'I'll see you out.'

'No, that's fine there's still so many people here, you're the host's sister you have to stay here.' I protested. 'My car's really close by.' I waved at her and silenced her objection.

She sighed. 'Alright, say hi to Nonoko for me. 'Night Mikan.' She smiled at me and I returned it. I exited the house, with light steps but a heavy heart. I can't be in love, can I?

No. Definitely not possible. What kind of person takes only a second to fall in love? Honestly, I'm being over-dramatic. I'll be fine by tomorrow. Plus, I'll probably ever meet that guy again. …Never again. I sighed again.

What am I doing to myself?

*_*_*_*  
So the 2nd chapter... I honestly have no idea where I'm going with this story. It was a spur of the moment decision but I will stick with it to the end (even though I don't really know how it'll end haha) I've realised that my writing may include too many internal monologues but this, I feel, is the best way to express the characters feelings. At this stage they're still 2D but I'm to develop them more. If the long monologues annoy anyone please do review. I won't know if you don't tell me. After all, in writing this, I'm hoping to enjoy myself, improve my writing and above all entertain readers. Sooo, please review! ^_^

higanbana-botan ^-^


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